1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of refrigerators and, more particularly, to the reinforcement of front corner portions of a refrigerator cabinet.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In constructing a refrigerator cabinet, it is highly desirable to minimize the weight of the cabinet shell to reduce manufacturing, transportation and additional associated costs, yet it is imperative that the cabinet be structurally sound in order to counteract loads exerted thereon without deforming. Mainly due to cost efficiencies and flexibility in workmanship, it has been commonplace to utilize sheet metal in the forming of most refrigerator cabinets on the market today. In the past, it has been known to employ heavy gauge sheet metal in forming a refrigerator cabinet, specifically by welding the overall cabinet and then subsequently painting the entire cabinet. However, these heavier gauge steel assemblies have more recently been replaced with lighter gauge steel. Since the sheet metal is thin and rather high loads are often placed on the shell, particularly by the opening and closing of a weighted down refrigerator door, a fair amount of effort has been applied in this art to provide reinforcement for such a refrigerator cabinet.
With this in mind, it has heretofore been proposed to form the sides and top of a refrigerator cabinet shell out of a single piece of thin, bent sheet metal which has been pre-painted and then to attach thereto rear and bottom walls. To preserve the surface quality of the cabinet, corner welds have been replaced by mechanical fasteners. However, these changes have resulted in a reduction in cabinet strength, particularly prior to insulation foam curing. To compensate for this reduction in structural integrity, it has been proposed to structurally reinforced the shell in an attempt to avoid deformation during use. Such known reinforcing arrangements generally take the form of providing either a unitary frame or multiple reinforcement members, in the form of bars or plates, and securing these members to the cabinet shell.
Regardless of these proposed refrigerator cabinet constructions, there still exists a need for an improved reinforcement arrangement which provides for effective localized reinforcement in critical cabinet zones. More specifically, there exists a need for a cost efficient and easily assembled refrigerator cabinet reinforcing arrangement which enables the effective use of pre-painted, thin sheet metal in creating an aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound overall refrigerator cabinet assembly.